Kim Jong-hoon, leader of The Progressive Party, said policies for unification by absorption and the doctrine that defines North Korea as the main enemy must be scrapped entirely to achieve peace on the Korean Peninsula. He also proposed that the Democratic Party of Korea pursue politics for reform and form a "grand council for social reform" with civil society.
Kim said at his first meeting with reporters since taking office, held at the National Assembly Members' Office Building on the morning of the 19th, "We should move to improve inter-Korean relations by fully scrapping the unification-by-absorption policy," adding, "The main-enemy doctrine must also be abolished, and of course the constitutional territorial clause must be amended."
He went on, "Not long ago, there was a proposal by Minister Chung Dong-young of the Ministry of Unification to use the state name 'Joseon.' This, in fact, should not even be a matter of controversy," adding, "Using a state name is a basic element of mutual respect. The National Security Act, which former President Roh Moo-hyun said was an 'old relic of the dictatorship era that should be put in its sheath and sent to a museum,' must also be abolished."
Kim also expressed support for the transfer of wartime operational control. "Recently, President Lee Jae-myung again emphasized that we should retrieve OPCON within the term without a hitch. The retrieval of OPCON is only natural," he said, adding, "However, I oppose the policy line of modernizing the South Korea-U.S. alliance, which is talked about as if it were a condition for retrieving OPCON. This is virtually synonymous with turning the country into a forward base for a war against China."
He also stressed that discussions on constitutional revision, where a presidential consecutive-term system has emerged as a key issue, should pick up speed. Kim said, "If we discuss constitutional reform only in terms of the president's term and power—such as consecutive terms or nonconsecutive multiple terms—there are growing concerns that the momentum for actual reform will be lost," adding, "The president and the Democratic Party must block unnecessary controversy and focus all efforts so that constitutional reform for people's livelihoods and democracy can be achieved."
He added, "(For the Democratic Party of Korea,) reform has disappeared and only power competition has emerged. 'One team' does not mean a 'government-ordered legislative body,'" and said, "What people expect from the ruling party and the government is to answer in the National Assembly with politics for reform and a reform alliance that reflects public opinion. I propose a grand council for social reform in which all parties and civil society participate."